XINING - A total of 1,340 medicinal plants have been discovered in a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) resources survey in Northwest China's Qinghai province, according to local authorities.

With a total investment of 27.6 million yuan (3.9 million US dollars), the six-year survey involved 1,200 technicians and experts and covered more than 4,700 villages across the plateau province.

The compilation of a book on the TCM resources in Qinghai was officially launched on Wednesday, which is expected to be completed in 2021.

The province has rich medicinal plant species, and a book on the TCM resources in Qinghai will be of great significance for the rational use of TCM resources, eco-system protection and the development of medicine of ethnic groups in Qinghai, said Li Junde, a researcher with the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.